Only Four Months Til Christmas

my younger brother has 7 Children and my older has 4. That is 11 all under the age of 13. That does not include mine. So to help keep the cost low, i go to my favorite craft stops and get kits that are on clearance.

They are generally starting to market the Christmas stock. Alot of the time you can get something pretty similar for about a quarter of the price. I also like to stock up on the after Christmas sales. This is great for Birthday gifts later in the year. I set a budget of about $100.00 for both my brothers and their families. It is very rare that i go over.

The best part, typically the kids love their gifts. I have learned to get kits with multiple projects so that one, they don’t get bored and two, they can trade with their sisters if they like.

No way am i thinking about Christmas until i have to. Its simple not to overspend, simply work out what you can aford without debt and stick to it.

Hi– I find that quality children’s books are always good presents for kids… so I’ve signed up for Borders Rewards and receive frequent email coupons for 30-40% off and started to use them for Xmas presents for the favorite kiddos in my life.

I shop for my kids all year long — starting right after Christmas. Every year, they get a Hallmark collectible ornament that I bought at a 75% discount in January the year before. I pick up little things I know they’ll like all year. At Christmas, I usually buy whatever one thing they ask Santa for, and then just enough to ‘even things up’.

I saw a suggestion from another mom that I thought was fantastic — the Scholastic book catalogs kids bring home from school always have a 99c book in them, and it’s usually a nice one. Stock up on those, they make great gifts for my childrens’ friends, and for nieces and nephews.

I can’t deal w/ Christmas yet. There’s back-to-school, Halloween and Thanksgiving to get thru first. Many on-line stores offer great bargains in December for us last-minute-Larry’s.

http://www.organizedchristmas.com

I make my cards in January , using the ones I received from previous year.
In the spring I KNIT gifts [eg scarves]
In the summer I SEW gifts [eg pencil rolls]
In the fall I BAKE gifts [chutneys,marmalades]
And all year I collect little items as I see them on sale.
That way when Christmas comes I can concentrate on the spiritual truths and celebrate Jesus’ birthday

Angela, these are great ideas. The best gifts are always handmade because people have taken the time and effort to make them!

Check out bookmooch.com. You can trade books that you no longer want for books you can give as Christmas gifts. Most of the books I have gotten from bookmooch are in like new condition and you can always ask what condition the book is in before you mooch it. It’s a great source for chapter books and teen lit, American Girl books, etc,as well as being marvelous for any kind of literature for grown ups. as

Totally agree with Angela!

I start mentally planning Christmas, usually around July. It’s not a heavy on my mind thinking, but I start noticing magazines more, start thinking mostly food stuff. I don’t start doing too much because I’ve learned that I don’t really save myself any time. The years I tried starting early, I ended up being crazy with work anyway cause I did more stuff in the place of the “free” time I had. I’m not a big presents person, I like to bake and cook and share the bounty, so the stores and spending money (aside from food), isn’t a big thing for me. I’ve never gone into debt over Christmas and don’t plan to start anytime soon. Christmas is about family, and family is about a welcoming kitchen and food. That’s my theory anyway!! ((anyone with some cool recipes to share?? lol))